Tuesday’s clash between the Flames and the Montreal Canadiens marked Cammalleri’s first trip back to Bell Centre since he became an ex-Habs player on a bizarre night in Boston, sent back to the team hotel after the second period of a Jan. 12, 2012, contest and eventually informed he’d been shipped to Calgary.

The 31-year-old left-winger realizes his name is again in the NHL’s rumour mill, but he didn’t want to receive any big news during his return to La Belle Province.

“I said that to my dad — we were talking about coming here, and I said, ‘That’s all I need is something dramatic here again,’ ” Cammalleri said after Tuesday’s morning skate.

“It would be nice if everything would go nice and easy. No drama would be nice for me.”

Cammalleri, who was cheered by the way when the Flames starting lineup was announced at Bell Centre, signed a five-year, US$30-million deal with the Habs in July ’09 and skated in 170 regular-season games and four playoff series with the Original Six franchise before being traded back to the Flames.

He left Montreal amidst controversy, having suggested two nights before being traded that the Canadiens had a ‘losing mentality’ in comments he says were misrepresented when translated from English to French. But he insisted Tuesday he had “nothing but fond memories” of his stint with the Habs.

“I feel like I keep repeating myself, but it was a great time,” Cammalleri said. “We really enjoyed living here and playing here.”

It doesn’t seem far-fetched to think the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent will eventually stand in the visitors’ room at the Saddledome and sing the same tune.

Although TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported Tuesday on Twitter that the Flames and Cammalleri are “continuing dialogue on new contract,” it would be a surprise if the club’s highest-paid player wasn’t moved before the March 5 NHL trade deadline.

CBC’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned the New Jersey Devils are interested in the veteran sharpshooter.

Brian Costello of The Hockey News speculated he will wind up on the West Coast, back with the Los Angeles Kings or with the Anaheim Ducks or with the San Jose Sharks or maybe even the Vancouver Canucks.

If any playoff contender loses a left-winger due to an injury suffered at the ’14 Sochi Olympics, there will be immediate questions about whether the Flames alternate captain could be a short-term fix.

Asked after Tuesday’s morning skate if he could be patient enough to be part of a rebuild in Calgary, Cammalleri responded: “We’ll see. The answer isn’t that I can’t be at this point.”

His answer to another question — what were his best memories in Montreal? — provided a hint of what could be more appealing, with his mind drifting back to the spring of ’10, when he scored 13 playoff goals to lead the Canadiens to the Eastern Conference final.

“Just being a part of that and the excitement of the fanbase here and the team and teammates and everybody ... ” Cammalleri recalled. “Just thinking that you had a chance to win a Stanley Cup and actually believing it here in Montreal was fun.”

Tuesday’s clash between the Flames and the Montreal Canadiens marked Cammalleri’s first trip back to Bell Centre since he became an ex-Habs player on a bizarre night in Boston, sent back to the team hotel after the second period of a Jan. 12, 2012, contest and eventually informed he’d been shipped to Calgary.

The 31-year-old left-winger realizes his name is again in the NHL’s rumour mill, but he didn’t want to receive any big news during his return to La Belle Province.

“I said that to my dad — we were talking about coming here, and I said, ‘That’s all I need is something dramatic here again,’ ” Cammalleri said after Tuesday’s morning skate.

“It would be nice if everything would go nice and easy. No drama would be nice for me.”